A lighter double ipa, this one is mostly yellow. 1/2" white head. Not really the most smelly hop nose, I pick up a little bit but was pretty much underwhelmed. Simcoe?

Taste was ok malt wise and mouthfeel hiding the alcohol, but the hop quotient just seemed lacking in terms of flavor, the bitterness was there but not much else. Dry finish. Just one glaring ingredient here that doesn't pull its weight. Bottle dating would do wonders for a beer of this style.

A- Pure gold with a decent white head that quickly dissipates to a wisp that leaves a touch of lace on the glass.

S- Intense, resiny hoppiness with a candied orange peel backing and a hit of alcohol.

T- A touch of sweet orange and caramel malt segues into an aspirin-like bitterness. Finishes with a good dose of alcohol and some residual sweetness.

M- On the heavy side, almost syrupy, with just enough carbonation to balance it out a little.

D- Too rich and alcoholic to drink much of. I think I'll stop at one.

Not bad, but not great either. The hop character seems a bit muted and lacking in brightness. I'm not sure how fresh this is, although if it had a "best by" date, I missed it. I may get it again if I can verify beyond a shadow of a doubt that it's fresh. Otherwise, I'll probably pass on it again.

A-- Poured a light, hazy honey yellow. Short lived white head that became film way too quickly. Good head retention but head quickly dies to film again. Spotty lacing all over the sides of the glass.

S-- Candied grapefruit and candied orange. No real pine smell to this at all. A good amount of citrus though.

T-- A whole lot of grapefruit. Just past ripeness to this. Missing pine again. Decent amount of sweetness to this as well.

M-- There is some pine in this. Finally. A fairly large pine and grapefruit finish. Just not all that fresh though. Lower carbonation and on the lighter side feel wise.

D-- Pretty early on I get the feeling this was not all that fresh.
Still pretty reasonable for what it is. Not going to rip it as will try again once Australia gets more of fresh stocks of this. Ticks a lot of boxes but nowhere near as good as PTE is.

2Xipa pours a nice big golden color with a big lacing head. There is a very big and bold hoppy and malty aroma. The taste is big, very malty, with big hop flavors coming through too. Nice body and flavors. Overall its a bit too malty, and the hop flavor has a strange fit.

Boy, I've been looking forward to reviewing this beer for a while. Let's get to it.

This is a pleasant beer. It is nice, non-offensive, and tasty. It's not a double IPA. Since it is aggressively labeled and marketed as such, that's how she's getting reviewed - sorry.

2XIPA is a VERY good IPA. It is a POOR Double IPA. Allow me to amend that - it's an IPA; it's NOT a DIPA.

It smells like a good IPA, but the lacks maltiness, and could use more fruiness/piney-ness.

It tastes like a good IPA, but the lacks maltiness, and could use more fruiness/piney-ness.

That's about it. Now if I were to review this beer as an IPA - I'd say something about how the pleasant, almost tropical nose is followed very closely by a similar flavor profile - but I would still mention the way there's a big empty space where the bitter juiciness of a classic IPA should be. It's just missing something - brain and my nose and my belly are all for this brew but my tongue is like 'hey guys, c'mon, I want some!'

No dice, tongue.

Good beer. OK IPA. Poor DIPA. If this is a Double, Hop Drop and Roll by NoDa should be a Double, but they had the good sense to go with American IPA. Maybe I'm placing too much emphasis on labeling and marketing but, well, I'm not - certain expectations are sold along with the beer - I paid for a DIPA and received an IPA. But maybe that's just the Associates degree in design and subsequent career in marketing talking.

Full Disclosure - I've had only 3 DIPAs, but if fully 66.6% had that special malty something, and one does not, I'm going to assume that it's missing that special flavorful something which counts for quite a bit. Further disclosure: the only other Southern Tier beer I've had is Pumpking, so maybe my expectations were a tad high.

Pretty average. Thin head that quickly disappears. Slightly cloudy straw color. Very little fruit or hop presence. A little malt, a little grain, and a little bitter. Maybe a little clove? Really not much going on for a beer getting a 4+ rating on BA. I expected much more. Next please.

A - An almost transparent pale yellow. Thin white head that leaves a small amount of lacing. Honestly, this looks kind of like a Bud Light.

S - All very soft aromas: grapefruit, clove, tea and some hops.

T - Tart grapefruit, again some tea and concludes with a bitter finish. There are some hops present here, but for a DIPA, I expect much more.

M - Wow this is a malty DIPA, perhaps the most malty one I have encountered. I feel this hurts the beer by taking away from the hop driven bitterness by smoothing it out too much. It drinks smooth, with a medium body and relatively low carbonation.

O - This is definitely a unique DIPA. I simply cannot be an advocate for so many malts in a beer of this type. Simply average.

Reviewing this back-to-back with Southern Tier's traditional IPA. Poured into a Jackie O's pint. Come on, only THREE types of malt in this one?! (Joking, of course.)

Appearance - Definitely thicker than its slightly less alcoholic brother. More of a particle-ized head that throbs like a human heart. Craters of air holes open up rapidly in the milky-like head. Appears well-carbonated with fresh bubbles rushing to the surface. Clings heavily to the glass. Appears paler and more transparent than the S.T IPA.

Smell - Much more of a robust smell than the traditional IPA. I expect this one to grip my taste-buds a bit tighter. Succulent chords of orange, tangerine, grapefruit, and lemon peel. Smells divine.

Taste - Not as flavorful as anticipated. Much sweeter than their IPA, with more of a focus on the flavors of tangerine and nectarine. The sweetness of agave nectar meets the bitterness of the hops politely. Again, near all of the flavor is in the aftertaste.

Mouthfeel and Drinkability - My biggest complaint is the water used in the brewing process. There is something off about it; whether it it too filtered or not filtered thoroughly enough. Light to medium bodied with a bit more of a focus on sweetness this time around. The hops are fresh and delicious, thought I think I would prefer angrier doubles over this one.

Thanks TheSevenDuffs! Undated 355 mL brown bottle poured into a Duvel snifter. Served out of the fridge, warmed over time...

A: Just a hint darker than straw with a minimum amount of hop haze, though I can't see through it... Even finishing my our hard though the white head comes out all macro-lager-like, disappearing quickly and leaving only the lightest touches of lacing. Disappointing start.
S: A solid nose, though not over the top hoppy. Alcoholic and vinous. Earthy and light grapuefruit hops come through with it, although it did not develop more character with temperature.
T: Really? I am disappointed massively here. A fruityiness comes across the palate with an alcoholic warmness finishing. Bread from the malt... Where are the hop flavours and biting bitterness? I feel like I've gotten more punch from some IPAs. Gravely disapointing. Not bad, but better than average? Not a hope.
M: Slight bitterness that lingers momentarily. Carbonation that is a touch too light with a beer that finishes fairly dry. Not much character to the body.
O: Wow, logging on today to review I wasn't expecting an 'A-' overall... Not strong enough (except in ABV) to be considered a DIPA from what I have had. East Coast DIPA perhaps? ;)

Pours a hazy orange color with an inch of white head that recedes semi-quickly. Sticky lacing is left in the glass after sipping. Lots of pine and flowers on the nose. Sweet saltiness up front that lingers but is followed by a balancing hop presence. didn't like the initial first sip but its getting better as I drink it.

Lots of piney hops on the back end and some citrus sweetness in the middle. Both the malts and the hops linger leaving a lot of big tastes in your mouth.

Clear golden light body. Clarity is superb, but it has a thin white head that dissipates within seconds. Little to no lacing. Lazy carb bubbles.

Smells inviting, but certainly not wowing. I would like more citrus and robust pine resin. Smells very clean and sexy, yet very bland and one-dimensional. I'm yearning for more of that extreme aroma that I get from Green Flash Imperial IPA.

Sweet pale grain and caramel, bitter lemon and fresh hops, pineapple highlights, and weak pine notes. The nail polish remover / chemical solvent taste is off putting and a tell tale sign of a brewery that doesn't know how to hide alcohol content in their pale beers. Too sweet/rich for a hop-centered beer and the bitterness is not smooth enough to be among the greatest DIPAs.

Mouthfeel is obstructed by the alcohol presence. It's thin, but mouthfeel is not what you think of when you taste this beer. What you think of is... "Damn, this could've tasted much better". More of a crisp dryness and more toasty grains would've made this beer better.

In conclusion, 2XIPA needs a more substantial dryhop regimen. And I'm comparing this to a non-IPA: Lagunitas A Little Sumpin' Sumpin', which shits all over this beer.

Pours a clear golden with a lively white bubbly head. The aroma is sweet and super hoppy - citrus and pine. Very grapefruity. The flavor is typical hopbomb - grapefruity and sweet, though there is a strange watery thinness in the middle that is unsatisfying. The bitterness on the end is slight. The mouthfeel is weirdly thin and watery, though there is some sharp stingy bitterness deep in the throat.

Aroma: A hint of tangerine and orange rind that you have to work for. I was expecting more.

Taste: Big letdown. Where hops shine in the standard IPA, they're just there in the 2X. Maybe more malt and higher ABV obscure things a bit, but on the tongue this seems more like a pale ale than a big, ass-kicking, name-taking DIPA. There is a twinge of alcohol kick in the aftertaste, not "hot" by any means, but just enough to indicate that this isn't a pounder.

Mouthfeel is pretty smooth. Drinkability is dangerous for the ABV, a feat S.Tier always manages to pull off.

Overall, I expected this to go head to head with Torpedo. No contest, Torpedo is the better beer. I love Unearthly, I love Southern Tier IPA, but somehow 2X missed the mark. Not worth the extra cash.

12 bottle with no date poured in to a pint glass.
A- Light orange liquid that poured with a 2 finger, medium bubbled head. Steady columns of carbonation. Head settled down to around 1/4 finger.

S- Citrus hops right when I popped the cap off. Some floral notes. Light malt notes when it warmed.

T- Very muddled and messy when first opened probably due to the temperature. Citrusy hops and light floral hops followed by toasted malts then hops. Acidic, spicy, bitter. After it warmed up a bit the flavor profile became more balanced, but I was surprised at the amount of malt flavor for a double IPA.

M- Light, smooth. Maybe a faint stickiness, but really not oily or sticky at all. Very hot at first, but that faded after awhile although the alcohol was still present.

D- It grew on me through the course of a glass, but I don't think I would drink it again. On the weaker side and a surprising amount of malt for a double IPA. I tried Captain Lawrence's Captain's Reserve IPA recently for the first time and the 2xIPA doesn't even hold a candle to the Captain's Reserve which I think is a much better example of a double IPA. A good beer, but not a great double IPA.

this really shouldn't be considered a double imo. just doesn't have that intensity or manliness you'd hope for in a nice double ipa. stone and founders have done much better with their doubles. not a bad beer tho. just... not perfect. southern tier has never been a favorite.

Clear honey colored. A diffident bead feeds a low-slung, stained ivory head. It quickly slumps to a collar, but redeems itself a bit with filthy lacework.
Bready malts hit the nose, with some toastier notes of caramel glazed nuts. Hops arrive shortly thereafter, and bring pine tar, orange peel, and metallic bitterness. Some vapors of booze sneak in as well.
Toasty malts hit the tongue. And it lingers here in statis for a bit. It dekes towards a full malty, caramel/toffee/dark fruit/roasted nuts persona, then it spins back. Lightly sweet and bready it will remain, and it stays here through the middle, until the hops hit with pine resin, bitter florals, rusted tin, and orange zest. Booze shows up again on the finish. Not obnoxiously, but enough to let one know it's there.
Medium-full bodied, with a fleeting carbonation, that- once gone- makes it feel saggy and unkempt and unstructured.
The vague yet heavy maltiness and rusty hop aspect makes this seem less than fresh, actually it seems old, and it's not.
Simply put, it's not the worst thing in the world, but I don't like it very much, and I wouldn't buy it again. There is no pizzazz here.

pours out a light copperish colour with some slow moving bubbles supporting a moderate off white head. ample and festive lace. it has a meekly sweet, malty, honeyish nose with a spicy dose of hop goodness. flavour wise, it closely follows suit of the preceding smell factor, throwing down a honey buttered biscuit malt character...slightly on the timid side. hopping provides a mix of floral tones, slight citrus and pine notes, with a stronger dose of spiciness of the onion, garlic and hay variety. although it certainly has a boozy feel, it sure hides the ABV well. the subsequent bitterness is a bit raw and somewhat abrasive, but not quite tongue blistering. despite the seemingly lack of malt flavour and character, it has a full, well rounded body and surprisingly agreeable mouthfeel despite the aggressive hopping. drinkability is decent...double IPA's aren't my favourite style to imbibe, so please take that into consideration.

overall, this is just ok. i think a more interesting malt bill would compliment the hop profile. see surly abrasive for inspiration.

Overall: Probably one of the least noteworthy beers I've had recently. Not bad by any means, but I feel like I've had this beer many times before, just with different names. There's better stuff out there that's just as accessible.

I'm a fan of big, dark, sticky hop-bombs, and as such Southern Tier's 2XIPA isn't my cup of joe. It pours almost lager-lite, and without much smell other than faint hops. I definitely pick up on the multilple-hop bouquet when I sip it, but this beer is more mellow than in-your-face. It's a nice enough sipper at 8.2 ABV, but not one of my favorite entries to the DIPA genre...

I picked up a bottle of Southern Tier's 2XIPA last week for $1.89 at The Lager Mill. It's another unseasonably warm day and I am craving something hoppy, so lets see how it goes. No visible bottling date. Poured from a brown 12 bottle into a imperial pint glass.

A- The label looks good and it has some information on it. It poured a nice golden orange color that looked pretty good and it had two and half fingers worth of fluffy white head that died down to a thin layer that stayed till the end and left some lacing. The is a good looking beer, the color and head were both very good.

S- The aroma of this beer is dominated by citrus hops, grapefruit, blood orange, and pineapple stick out the most and they impart a nice citrus fruit aroma. I also get some malty aromas along with some earthy and piney hop aromas but they are pretty light and overpowered by the citrus hops. This was pretty good smelling beer that was all about the citrus hops.

T- This is one intense tasting DIPA that feels more balanced in the taste then it was with the aroma. It starts off with a light malty, grainy, and slightly biscuity flavors that is quickly overshadowed by the large amount of hops in this brew, which impart citrus hops at first, with an equal amount piney hops after that. It had a pretty high amount of bitterness on the finish with a little bit of slightly warming alcohol and a piney and citrus hop aftertaste. This beer tasted good, but I wish more citrus hops made their way to the aroma.

M- Somewhat smooth, on the thick side of being medium bodied, with a good amount of medium carbonation. The mouthfeel is good and it works well with this beer.

Overall I liked this beer and I thought it was a good example of an DIPA. The flavor and bitterness were pretty intense, but this DIPA, it should be intense, nothing tame about this beer. This beer had ok drinkability but I think one would be enough for me, the intensity and bitterness of this beer would start to ware one me. What I liked most about this beer was the appearance and the aroma, they were both pretty damn good. What I liked least about this beer was the lighter citrus flavors, if it got a little more grapefruit, blood orange, and pineapple in the taste it would be an excellent beer. I would buy this beer again when looking for a good and affordable DIPA, and I recommend it to anyone that is a fan of the style. This was the first beer that I liked and thought was good from Southern Tier, this makes up for their lackluster Porter and I will be on the search for more ber from this brewery. Good job guys this is a solid DIPA.

Update 2013 After having many different DIPA's I find this one to be just a little above average and I adjusted my rating accordingly.

S- Aromatics are very hoppy- floral and wet pine. A twinge of soapyness...

T- Bitter- wow. Nice hop assault. Sugar-coated hops with pine resin. Bit of a lingering sweetness. Bitterness fades as the beer goes on and more of the sweetness comes out. ST is a brewery that was built on an ancient indian sugar cane field, I swear- every beer of theirs must have a handful of sugar added in.

M- Good body, good carbonation, a little messy in the finish. The caramel malt doesn't blend 100% with the hop sweetness..

D- Fairly high, although don't think this one is one I will revisit- easy enough to drink but many other DIPAs I'd reach for before this one. The sweetness got to me by the end of the bottle.